One year ago, Christina Toro’s grandson A’zarion was born. His birth was anything but routine.
A’zarion was born prematurely, addicted to methamphetamines and fentanyl. He spent weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s St. Paul Hospital, where he was given morphine for about a month so he could eat, sleep and to stop body tremors.
Toro spent each day at the hospital by his side. Both of A’zarion’s parents were struggling with addiction. Toro said her son and A’zarion’s mother were not able to raise a child, and were at risk of A’zarion being forcibly taken from them. A’zarion’s mother decided to sign a delegation of parental authority (DOPA) form, giving Toro decision-making power for her child.
“For some reason, she chose me,” Toro told Sahan Journal.
But Toro quickly learned that while a DOPA gave her some authority over her grandson, it also came with strict limits.
When A’zarion was born, Toro was living in a senior living facility. She was told that she could not keep the child there and had to move. She needed to find a new apartment that would accept her housing voucher. Once she got an apartment, she learned that because she did not have legal custody of her grandson, he could not stay with her for more than two weeks under her public housing requirements.
Toro, 61, relies on Social Security. She couldn’t afford to live somewhere that wouldn’t accept her housing voucher.
“We would have been homeless, searching for another place to live,” she said.
She was also struggling to afford everything A’zarion needed. Due to allergies, the only formula he could digest was goat-milk-based. And at $45 for a can that would last a week, it was not covered by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
Getting legal help
While at a doctor’s visit at Children’s, A’zarion’s provider referred Toro to Children’s Healthcare Legal Partnership after hearing about the difficulties she was facing. The partnership helps patients obtain free legal help to address topics like housing issues, custody and access to benefits. Two attorneys, one based at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, and another in the Minneapolis location, staff the program.
The Children’s partnership paired Toro up with attorney Peter Thomas. DOPAs cannot last more than a year without being renewed, and Toro’s was soon going to expire. She needed help quickly.
“There was a lot of I think fear and instability around what was going to happen in the coming months,” Thomas said. “So all of those factors led us to act as quickly as we could to file a case that Christina felt was truly necessary and truly in the best interests of the child to promote stability and to sort of give this family an opportunity to find some grounding during an incredibly difficult time.”
Thomas filed a case in state court to get Toro full legal custody of A’zarion, which was awarded this summer. Toro said she was relieved.
“It was a blessing for me,” she said.
Alexis Kochanski, senior director for the Collective for Community Health at Children’s Minnesota, said the legal partnership was created in 2017 to connect patients with legal help to address issues that impact their health and wellbeing beyond their medical care.
She said circumstances like safe housing, food security, transportation and public benefits all impact a patient’s health.
“We really want families to know that we understand that there are different factors that can impact a health care journey, and we see that, and we want to acknowledge that, and we want to provide that support so that once you leave here, you’re able to sustain your health,” Kochanski said.
The partnership is funded through the hospital’s operating budget, and at times is also supported by grants and donors, Kochanski said.
In 2025, the partnership had about 350 referrals from clinicians and Children’s staff.
In one case, the partnership provided advice and support to a non-English speaking family who was having difficulty understanding notices from the Social Security Administration, which were only in English, and some of which contradicted each other.
In another case, the partnership helped a patient obtain a protective order against an abusive family member.
Thomas said the partnership has helped patients facing a myriad of difficulties, one of them being the limits of a DOPA. The partnership has also assisted patients with eviction defense, accessing public housing and immigration law. Interpreter services can also be arranged to ensure that families understand their options and their situation.
“We take the time in our partnership to work with families to make sure they understand as best as possible what is happening, to really walk along them and accompany them through a journey, as opposed to … only being able to offer a quick response or one conversation,” he said.
Some other local health systems connect patients with free legal help or refer them to external organizations. For example the Community-University Health Care Center has a free legal clinic for patients who qualify. Hennepin Healthcare has relationships with county services, and makes referrals to Hennepin County’s Adult Representation Services, which provides legal help in civil matters to people in poverty.
Looking forward
Now, Toro and A’zarion live in a two-bedroom apartment in Inver Grove Heights. Her landlord accepted her housing voucher. Since gaining custody, she’s also been able to access county benefits, and receives several hundred dollars a month to help care for A’zarion. Soon A’zarion will receive day care assistance, which will allow Toro to get her own care for mobility challenges, which she has put on hold since taking in her grandson.
“I am so grateful because [they] saw the need,” she said of the Children’s legal partnership. “I didn’t even know this program existed.”
On an early September afternoon, A’zarion crawls around the apartment. He energetically plays with a toy xylophone. He carries around a plastic rattle. He eventually falls asleep in Toro’s arms.
Toro said taking care of A’zarion has been a difficult and stressful experience. He still experiences side effects from being exposed to substances before he was born. He may have long-term impacts as he grows up. But Toro says she’s grateful that he’s healthy right now.
“He has 10 fingers, 10 toes, two working eyes,” she said. “Everything else in the journey, whatever happens will happen.”
Toro said her goal is that one day, A’zarion’s parents will overcome their struggles with addiction, and be able to raise him on their own. His father is currently in jail, and his mother is receiving treatment. Toro said she can’t predict the future, but she’s hopeful that things will work out.
“With God, anything is possible,” she said.
